On April 25, Environment Minister John Wilkinson announced changes to the problem-plagued Drive Clean, and its Sept. 1 start date. That’s when the program will no longer test cars under seven years of age because statistics show they rarely fail the emissions tests.

Caught in the changes are drivers whose birthdates fall between April 25 and Sept. 1. Those renewing their licences between those dates still have to pay for the Drive Clean tests for cars between five and seven years old.

While the government clearly intended this as a pre-election goodie to gain favour with motorists, it will backfire as others feel “bilked” for what, in effect, are lame-duck tests, charged veteran New Democrat MPP Peter Kormos (Welland).

“This had nothing to do with good policy and everything to do with rolling out a feel-good announcement just in time for a provincial election,” said Kormos, a former consumer minister.

“Unfortunately for Premier (Dalton) McGuinty he didn’t come clean on the Drive Clean announcement. This isn’t going to earn the Liberals any votes. In fact, the voters will be leaving the Liberals stranded on the shoulder of the road.”

Wilkinson wasn’t available for comment but his office suggested the Sept. 1 date had nothing to do with the fall election, in which McGuinty’s Liberals are running a distant second in the polls to Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives.

“We are implementing the changes to the Drive Clean program as soon as possible to save Ontario families time and money,” spokesman Jonathan Rose said in a statement.

“Sept. 1 was the soonest the ministries of environment and transportation could make the necessary updates and changes to their IT and mail-out notification systems to make the transition as seamless as possible for vehicle owners.”

Auto centres performing Drive Clean checks are bracing for a consumer backlash as motorists catch on that they’ll have to get the tests to renew their stickers under what Kormos called an “arbitrary” cutoff date.

“They’ll get upset,” predicted Guzzi, who also owns an Active Green + Ross centre in Mississauga.

The tests take about 15 minutes and typically cost $35, plus the 13 per cent HST, not including the cost of any repairs to improve failing vehicles. Almost $12 from each test goes to the government with the rest to the garage.

“Very few people know” of the lame-duck tests, said Errol Williams, owner of Service Plus Car Care Centre on Horner Ave. near Kipling.

But he said he’s heard from a handful of customers not pleased with the situation. “They know there’s nothing we can do about it. It’s all because of the government.”

Progressive Conservative transportation critic Frank Klees said it makes no sense to scrap part of the program and leave 182,000 Ontarians, already pinched by high gas prices, caught in the middle between the two dates.

“They made an announcement because they thought they could get some headlines and figure it all out later. It was shoot, ready, aim,” said Klees.

“How much time does the average person lose to do this inspection? And it takes $40 out of their pocket, usually for no reason.”

The Conservatives have promised to scrap all Drive Clean tests if elected, saying improving vehicle emissions technology makes them unnecessary.

That would be a “reckless” move because 99 per cent of vehicles failing Drive Clean tests are more than seven years old and spew about 33 million kilograms of smog into the air annually, said Kelly Baker of Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne’s office.

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